UNESCO World Heritage SiteUNESCO Heritage
Batadombalena
Sri Lanka

Batadombalena

Balangoda Man cave site, Mesolithic Sri Lanka

Location

Explore the Map

Historical Context

About

Batadombalena is an archaeological site with evidence of habitation from 8,000 years BCE, Balangoda Man, located 85 km (52.8 mi) from Colombo in Sri Lanka, a two-hour drive from Colombo. The Batadombalena archaeological site contains evidence of habitation from as early as 8,000 years BCE and is one of the sites whose discoveries support the "Out of Africa" hypothesis, according to Professor Paul Mellars, a Cambridge University archaeologist. Among the evidence of Balangoda Man he unearthed at the site were stone tools that are interpreted as arrow - or spearheads and carefully shaped and perforated beads made from ostrich eggshell fragments. One particular piece of an ostrich eggshell, incised with a distinctive criss-cross motif, has also been discovered. Batadombalena Cave has a size of roughly 50 ft × 60 ft × 80 ft (15 m × 18 m × 24 m).

Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Classical Period
Post-Classical Period
Early Modern Period
Industrial Period
Contemporary Period
Visual Archive

Gallery

Explore photographs of ancient structures, artifacts, and archaeological excavations

FileBatadombalena_archaeological_sites.JPG
Temporal Epochs

Historical Timeline

Journey through time and discover key events in this site's history

Earliest habitation

c. 8000 BCE

Classification

Archaeological Features

Unique architectural and cultural elements found at this historical site

category

Artistic and Decorative Features

Inscriptions
category

Domestic and Habitation Structures

Caves
category

Environmental and Natural Features

Rock SheltersModified Caves
Knowledge Base

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore

Plan Your Visit

Tours, travel arrangements, and practical information

Reference

Details

Country

Sri Lanka

Coordinates

6.80° N, 80.37° E